Should Runners Stretch?

Have you ever been told you need to stretch more? Maybe you have heard that you are too tight, that stretching will help you avoid injuries, or that it will make you faster. A lot of runners have stretched religiously for years and feel like they should be doing it. Injured runners in the clinic will often say, “I know I need to stretch more.” But is stretching really essential for runners, or is the answer more nuanced than that?

What the Research Generally Suggests

As a high school track and field and cross country coach and as an active runner, I understand that researching running performance is not easy. But if you take a dive into what the research says about running and static stretching, some general trends do appear.

A common belief is that stretching decreases injuries, boosts running performance, and decreases muscle soreness. However, the research does not strongly support static stretching as a one-size-fits-all answer for those goals in runners.^1,2,3 In the literature, stretching has not consistently shown clear benefits for improving running performance, preventing injuries, or reducing delayed onset muscle soreness.¹

Does Stretching Make Runners Faster?

Current research does not strongly support static stretching as a reliable way to improve running performance. In fact, static stretching before you run may temporarily reduce performance for some runners.¹ That is one reason you still see so many athletes stretching before races even though it may not be the most effective warm-up strategy.

I have coached and treated plenty of high-level athletes who were not particularly flexible. That observation alone does not prove anything, but it does fit with the idea that flexibility is not automatically the limiting factor for every runner. In some cases, elite athletes may even trend toward being less flexible rather than more flexible.

Does Stretching Prevent Injuries?

This is where runners often want a very simple yes or no answer, but the reality is that injury prevention is complex. Training load, recovery, sleep, strength, tissue capacity, mechanics, prior injury history, and program design all matter. Stretching by itself does not appear to be the magic answer.

That does not mean no runner ever feels better after stretching. It just means the overall research picture does not support the idea that stretching alone is a dependable injury prevention strategy for runners.

Does Stretching Reduce Soreness?

Runners often assume stretching will reduce soreness, but the evidence does not strongly support that belief either.¹ If you like stretching and it helps you relax or feel subjectively better, that is one thing. But if you are stretching purely because you think it will reliably eliminate soreness, the evidence is not especially convincing.

When Stretching Might Still Be Useful

This is where I want to avoid the all-or-nothing message. Just because stretching is not strongly supported as a blanket solution does not mean it is always useless. Some runners like stretching because it helps them feel better, it may improve comfort in certain positions, or it may be part of a broader mobility strategy that works well for their body.

The point is that stretching should be individualized. If a runner finds that a certain amount of stretching helps them feel better without aggravating symptoms or hurting performance, that can still be reasonable. The bigger issue is assuming every runner needs more stretching across the board.

What to Do Instead of Static Stretching Before a Run

There is little evidence to strongly support static stretching as part of a pre-run warm-up. For most runners, a better option before running is some combination of leg swings, lunges, and dynamic drills. A dynamic warm-up prepares the body for movement without the same concern about temporarily reducing performance.¹

If you want an example, check out the Running Warm-Up: 5 Minute Warm-Up post for a simple pre-run routine. I would generally put much more stock in a dynamic warm-up, appropriate strength training, and adequate sleep than in excessive static stretching.

What Runners Should Prioritize

Based on the research and based on what I see clinically, I think many runners spend too much time stretching and not enough time doing things that are more likely to move the needle. Strength training, sleep, smart programming, and an appropriate warm-up are often better places to focus your attention.⁴

That does not mean no runner should ever stretch. It just means stretching should probably not be treated as the default answer to every running problem.